BreedingFor years, horses have been bred to run fast. As a result, thoroughbreds have oversized frames and undersized legs. They are so fragile that injuries are commonplace. Furthermore, inbreeding causes genetic defects among racehorses.

Drugs Horses are often made dependent on the drugs that their veterinarians and trainers provide. While the drugs may relieve symptoms such as bleeding and pain, they do not treat the underlying problems. Instead, they are used to keep horses who are too injured to race on the track. Legal drugs are also used to mask the presence of illegal drugs injected into the horse.

Frequently Administered Drugs

Lasix

Bute

Steroids

InjuriesHorses are frequently made to race at the age of two. Since their bones have not fully developed at that point, injuries are common. In addition, many are raced so often that their joints and bones deteriorate. Steeple chasing is designed to make horses fall; this sometimes results in death or serious injury for which the animal is euthanized.

Transportation to SlaughterHorses are placed in double-decker trucks that are too low for them to even stand up straight in. They are not given food or water or even allowed to stop and rest. “Owners” do not want to spend money on painkillers, so animals with a broken leg or other injury must suffer the entire trip without any anesthetic. Since horses must be alive when they arrive at the slaughterhouse in order to be used for human consumption, even animals in excruciating pain will not be euthanized.

RegulationsHorseracing is effectively excluded from all anti-cruelty laws. Individual states are supposed to regulate the industry through their own racing commissions. Since the racing commission is a state agency, state prosecutors are disinclined toward pursuing cruelty cases against it. Moreover, because each state receives revenue from its tracks, states are unlikely to hold industry insiders to very strict standards.